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Color change and chlorophyll degradation during fluidized bed drying of Moringa oleifera leaves
Hasizah A.
Aip Conference Proceedings
Abstract
Moringa oleifera leaves are rich in both macro and micronutrients. Many researchers have indicated that regular consumption of moringa leaves can help maintain health and lower the risks of chronic diseases. Moringa leaves must be dried and transformed into powder to increase shelf life and availability. During drying, color change due to thermal and enzymatic effects may occur, changing appearance and color quality. In this study, a fluidized bed dryer dried moringa leaves at 35, 45, 55, and 65 °C. In addition, samples dried at room temperature (shade drying) were also prepared for comparison. This study aimed to investigate the effects of fluidized bed drying on color change and chlorophyll contents of dry moringa leaves. This study showed that drying temperature and duration can significantly affect the L, a*, and b* values and chlorophyll contents of dried Moringa leave powder. The L values of all dried samples were considerably higher than that of the fresh sample, indicating that the original green color of Moringa leaves tended to fade during drying, which increased the lightness of the dry leaves. The magnitudes of the changes in the * values were statistically significant. The b* values of the dry moringa samples were all in the positive region and significantly higher than that of the fresh sample, which indicates that the color of the samples moved towards the yellow region. The effect of drying temperature on chlorophyll contents of dry moringa powder was also significant.